U.S. patent number 10,917,880 [Application Number 16/414,269] was granted by the patent office on 2021-02-09 for techniques for allocating time and frequency resources to an uplink channel to carry uplink control information used for narrowband communication.
This patent grant is currently assigned to QUALCOMM Incorporated. The grantee listed for this patent is QUALCOMM Incorporated. Invention is credited to Wanshi Chen, Seyed Ali Akbar Fakoorian, Peter Gaal, Alberto Rico Alvarino, Madhavan Srinivasan Vajapeyam, Renqiu Wang, Hao Xu.
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United States Patent |
10,917,880 |
Wang , et al. |
February 9, 2021 |
Techniques for allocating time and frequency resources to an uplink
channel to carry uplink control information used for narrowband
communication
Abstract
Techniques are described for wireless communication. A method
for wireless communication at a base station includes identifying
time resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication
in a plurality of subframes, identifying a plurality of user
equipment (UE) devices, allocating a first portion of the time
resources and the frequency resources to an uplink (UL) channel to
carry UL control information, and allocating resources of the UL
channel to the identified UE devices. A method for wireless
communication at a UE device includes identifying time resources
and frequency resources for narrowband communication in a plurality
of subframes, receiving an indication of at least a first portion
of the time resources and the frequency resources allocated to a UL
channel to carry UL control information for the UE device, and
transmitting one or both of downlink acknowledgements (ACKs) and
downlink non-acknowledgements (NAKs) on the UL channel.
Inventors: |
Wang; Renqiu (San Diego,
CA), Chen; Wanshi (San Diego, CA), Rico Alvarino;
Alberto (San Diego, CA), Xu; Hao (Beijing,
CN), Gaal; Peter (San Diego, CA), Fakoorian; Seyed
Ali Akbar (San Diego, CA), Vajapeyam; Madhavan
Srinivasan (San Diego, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUALCOMM Incorporated |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
QUALCOMM Incorporated (San
Diego, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
1000005353759 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/414,269 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2019 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20190274134 A1 |
Sep 5, 2019 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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15245640 |
Aug 24, 2016 |
10327232 |
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62213553 |
Sep 2, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04B
7/0632 (20130101); H04W 72/0413 (20130101); H04W
72/044 (20130101); H04L 5/0048 (20130101); H04L
5/0055 (20130101); H04B 7/0626 (20130101); H04W
72/0453 (20130101); H04W 72/0446 (20130101); H04W
74/0833 (20130101); H04W 72/1278 (20130101); H04J
2013/0088 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04W
72/04 (20090101); H04L 5/00 (20060101); H04W
74/08 (20090101); H04W 72/12 (20090101); H04B
7/06 (20060101); H04J 13/00 (20110101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2013183299 |
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Sep 2013 |
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JP |
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2007145492 |
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Dec 2007 |
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WO |
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2015095560 |
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Jun 2015 |
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WO |
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Other References
Ericsson LM., et al., "Narrowband LTE--Concept Description," 3GPP
Draft; R1-154659, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Mobile
Competence Centre ; 650, Route Des Lucioles ; F-06921
Sophia-Antipolis Cedex ; France vol. RAN WG1, No. Beijing, China;
Aug. 24, 2015-Aug. 28, 2015 Aug. 23, 2015 (Aug. 23, 2015),
XP051001893, Retrieved from the Internet:
URL:http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Meetings_3GPP_SYNC/RAN1/Docs/
[retrieved on Aug. 23, 2015], 9 pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written
Opinion--PCT/US2016/048546--ISA/EPO--dated Nov. 18, 2016. cited by
applicant .
Sierra Wireless: "PAPR Reduction and Power Savings for Sub-PRB
PUSCH Transmission Technique", 3GPP Draft; R1-151473 PAPR Power
Saving SUBPRB PUSCH V4, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP),
Mobile Competence Centre ; 650, Route Des Lucioles ; F-06921
Sophia-Antipolis Cedez ; France vol. RAN WG1, No. Belgrade; Apr.
20, 2015 Apr. 24, 2015 Apr. 19, 2015 (Apr. 19, 2015), XP050934345,
Retrieved from the Internet:
URL:http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Meetings_3GPP_SYNC/RAN1/Docs/
[retrieved on Apr. 19, 2015]. cited by applicant .
European Search Report--EP19187918--Search Authority--The
Hague--dated Aug. 30, 2019. cited by applicant .
Taiwan Search Report--TW105127331--TIPO--dated Feb. 26, 2020. cited
by applicant .
NTT Docomo: "Views on PUCCH for Rel-13 Low Complexity MTC", 3GPP
TSG-RAN WG1#82, R1-154530, 3GPP, Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2015, pp.
1-3, Aug. 24, 2015-Aug. 28, 2015. cited by applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Zhao; Wei
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCES
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 15/245,640 by Wang, et al., entitled "Techniques for Allocating
Time and Frequency Resources to an Uplink Channel to Carry Uplink
Control Information Used for Narrowband Communication," filed Aug.
24, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/213,553 by Wang, et al., entitled "Techniques
For Allocating Time And Frequency Resources To A Dedicated Physical
Uplink Control Channel Used For Narrowband Communication," filed
Sep. 2, 2015, assigned to the assignee hereof.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for wireless communication at a base station,
comprising: identifying time resources and frequency resources for
narrowband communication in a plurality of subframes; identifying a
plurality of user equipment (UE) devices; allocating at least a
first portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
an uplink (UL) channel to carry UL control information, wherein the
first portion includes a slot of seven symbols; allocating
resources of the UL channel to the identified plurality of UE
devices; and allocating symbols one, two, six and seven of the slot
for UL data transmissions and symbols three, four and five of the
slot for reference symbol transmissions.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving from one or
more of the plurality of UE devices, on the UL channel, one or both
of downlink acknowledgements (ACKs) and downlink
non-acknowledgements (NAKs).
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: multiplexing the UL
channel with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical
random access channel (PRACH), a sounding reference signal (SRS),
or a combination thereof, in one or both of a time domain and a
frequency domain.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the UL channel comprises a
dedicated physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).
5. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating resources of the UL
channel to the plurality of UE devices comprises: allocating
resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices using
frequency domain multiplexing (FDM).
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving on the UL
channel, in parallel, a single tone transmission from the plurality
of UE devices.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving from a UE
device of the plurality of UE devices, in parallel on the UL
channel, a plurality of single tone transmissions.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the slot is a first slot and the
first portion includes a second slot, and wherein allocating at
least the first portion of the time resources and the frequency
resources to the UL channel comprises: allocating a same set of
frequency resources to the UL channel for the first slot and the
second slot in the plurality of subframes.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating at least the first
portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to the UL
channel comprises: allocating a same set of frequency resources to
the UL channel from one subframe to another subframe in the
plurality of subframes.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating resources of the UL
channel to the plurality of UE devices comprises: allocating
resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices using
intra-resource block frequency hopping.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the time resources and the
frequency resources of the UL channel allocated to the plurality of
UE devices comprise bundled transmission time intervals (TTIs).
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: approximating
channel state information (CSI) for at least one downlink of the
narrowband communication based at least in part on a measurement of
a sounding reference signal (SRS), channel quality information
(CQI) for an uplink of the narrowband communication, a CQI received
on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a combination
thereof.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating resources of the UL
channel to the plurality of UE devices comprises: allocating
resources of the UL channel to a UE device of the plurality of UE
devices based at least in part on a coverage enhancement (CE) level
associated with the UE device.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a
sounding reference signal (SRS) during each symbol period of each
subframe of the plurality of subframes.
15. An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station,
comprising: a processor; memory in communication with the
processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions
being executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:
identify time resources and frequency resources for narrowband
communication in a plurality of subframes; identify a plurality of
user equipment (UE) devices; allocate at least a first portion of
the time resources and the frequency resources to an uplink (UL)
channel to carry UL control information, wherein the first portion
includes a slot of seven symbols; allocate resources of the UL
channel to the identified plurality of UE devices; and allocate
symbols one, two, six and seven of the first slot and the second
slot for UL data transmissions and symbols three, four and five of
the first slot and the second slot for reference symbol
transmissions.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are
executable by the processor to: receive from one or more of the
plurality of UE devices, on the UL channel, one or both of downlink
acknowledgements (ACKs) and downlink non-acknowledgements
(NAKs).
17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are
executable by the processor to: multiplex the UL channel with a
physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random access
channel (PRACH), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a
combination thereof, in one or both of a time domain and a
frequency domain.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the UL channel comprises a
dedicated physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions executable
by the processor to allocate resources of the UL channel to the
plurality of UE devices comprise instructions executable by the
processor to: allocate resources of the UL channel to the plurality
of UE devices using frequency domain multiplexing (FDM).
20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the slot is a first slot and
the first portion includes a second slot, and wherein the
instructions executable by the processor to allocate at least the
first portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
the UL channel comprise instructions executable by the processor
to: allocate a same set of frequency resources to the UL channel
for the first slot and the second slot in the plurality of
subframes.
21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions executable
by the processor to allocate at least the first portion of the time
resources and the frequency resources to the UL channel comprise
instructions executable by the processor to: allocate a same set of
frequency resources to the UL channel from one subframe to another
subframe in the plurality of subframes.
22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions executable
by the processor to allocate resources of the UL channel to the
plurality of UE devices further comprise instructions executable by
the processor to: allocate resources of the UL channel to the
plurality of UE devices using intra-resource block frequency
hopping.
23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the time resources and the
frequency resources of the UL channel allocated to the plurality of
UE devices comprise bundled transmission time intervals (TTIs).
24. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions executable
by the processor to allocate resources of the UL channel to the
plurality of UE devices further comprise instructions executable by
the processor to: allocate resources of the UL channel to a UE
device of the plurality of UE devices based at least in part on a
coverage enhancement (CE) level associated with the UE device.
25. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE)
device, comprising: identifying time resources and frequency
resources for narrowband communication in a plurality of subframes;
receiving an indication that at least a first portion of the time
resources and the frequency resources are allocated to an uplink
(UL) channel to carry UL control information for the UE device,
wherein the first portion includes a slot of seven symbols and
symbols one, two, six and seven of the slot are allocated for UL
data transmissions and symbols three, four and five of the slot are
allocated for reference symbol transmissions; and transmitting one
or both of downlink acknowledgements (ACKs) and downlink
non-acknowledgements (NAKs) in one or more of symbols one, two, six
or seven of the slot of the first portion.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising: transmitting a
physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the UL channel is
multiplexed with the PUSCH.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein the UL channel comprises a
dedicated physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).
28. The method of claim 25, further comprising: transmitting on the
UL channel using frequency domain multiplexing (FDM).
29. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment
(UE) device, comprising: a processor; memory in communication with
the processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the
instructions being executable by the processor to: identify time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in a
plurality of subframes; receive an indication that at least a first
portion of the time resources and the frequency resources are
allocated to an uplink (UL) channel to carry UL control information
for the UE device, wherein the first portion includes a slot of
seven symbols and symbols one, two, six and seven of the slot are
allocated for UL data transmissions and symbols three, four and
five of the slot are allocated for reference symbol transmissions;
and transmit one or both of downlink acknowledgements (ACKs) and
downlink non-acknowledgements (NAKs) in one or more of symbols one,
two, six or seven of the slot of the first portion.
30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the instructions are
executable by the processor to: transmit a physical uplink shared
channel (PUSCH), wherein the UL channel is multiplexed with the
PUSCH.
31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the UL channel comprises a
dedicated physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).
32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the instructions are
executable by the processor to: transmit on the UL channel using
cross-slot frequency domain multiplexing (FDM).
Description
BACKGROUND
Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems,
for example, and more particularly to allocating time and frequency
resources to a UL channel to carry uplink control information used
for narrowband communication.
Description of Related Art
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide
various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet
data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable
of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the
available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power).
Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division
multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access
(TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems,
and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems,
(e.g., a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A)
system). A wireless multiple-access communication system may
include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting
communication for multiple communication devices, which may be
otherwise known as user equipment (UE) devices. A base station may
communicate with UE devices on downlink channels (e.g., for
transmissions from a base station to a UE device) and uplink
channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE device to a base
station).
Some types of UE devices may communicate with a base station or
other UE devices using narrowband communication. Narrowband
communication may include, for example, narrowband LTE (NB-LTE)
communication, M2M communication (of which Machine Type
Communication (MTC) may be considered a part for purposes of this
disclosure), NB-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) communication, etc.).
Given the narrow bandwidth of narrowband communication, choices may
need to be made regarding the types of channels and signals to
which narrowband resources are allocated, as well as the manner in
which narrowband resources are allocated to such channels and
signals and the configurations of such channels and signals.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure, for example, relates to techniques for
allocating time and frequency resources to an uplink (UL) channel
used for narrowband communication. Resources may be allocated to a
UL channel for the purpose of transmitting or receiving information
such as downlink acknowledgements (ACKs), downlink
non-acknowledgements (NAKs), or channel quality information (CQI).
In some cases, the UL channel may be a UL control channel such as
physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). In some examples, CQI may
not be transmitted on a UL channel, but may instead be transmitted
on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or not transmitted.
When CQI is not transmitted from a UE device to a base station, the
base station may approximate channel state information (CSI) in a
number of ways. In some examples, resources may be allocated to a
UL channel, and resources of the UL channel may be allocated to a
plurality of UE devices, in ways that optimize (e.g., maximize) the
UE device transmission capacity of the UL channel and/or optimize
(e.g., minimize) the transmission times of UE devices.
A method of wireless communication is described. The method may
include identifying time resources and frequency resources for
narrowband communication in a plurality of subframes, identifying a
plurality of UE devices, allocating at least a first portion of the
time resources and the frequency resources to a UL channel to carry
UL control information, and allocating resources of the UL channel
to the identified plurality of UE devices.
An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus
may include means for identifying time resources and frequency
resources for narrowband communication in a plurality of subframes,
means for identifying a plurality of UE devices, means for
allocating at least a first portion of the time resources and the
frequency resources to a UL channel to carry UL control
information, and means for allocating resources of the UL channel
to the identified plurality of UE devices.
Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The
apparatus may include a processor, memory in electronic
communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the
memory. The instructions may be operable to cause the processor to
identify time resources and frequency resources for narrowband
communication in a plurality of subframes, identify a plurality of
UE devices, allocate at least a first portion of the time resources
and the frequency resources to a UL channel to carry UL control
information, and allocate resources of the UL channel to the
identified plurality of UE devices.
A non-transitory computer readable medium for wireless
communication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable
medium may include instructions operable to cause a processor to
identify time resources and frequency resources for narrowband
communication in a plurality of subframes, identify a plurality of
UE devices, allocate at least a first portion of the time resources
and the frequency resources to an UL channel to carry UL control
information, and allocate resources of the UL channel to the
identified plurality of UE devices.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for receiving from one
or more of the plurality of UE devices, on the UL channel, one or
both of downlink ACKs and downlink NAKs.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for multiplexing the UL
channel with one or more of a physical uplink shared channel
(PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), a sounding
reference signal (SRS), or a combination thereof, in one or both of
a time domain and a frequency domain.
In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above, the UL channel comprises
a dedicated PUCCH.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for allocating a same
number of resources of the UL channel to reference symbol
transmissions and data symbol transmissions.
In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above, allocating resources of
the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices comprises: allocating
resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices using
cross-slot code division multiplexing (CDM) in a time domain, CDM
in a frequency domain, frequency domain multiplexing (FDM), or a
combination thereof.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for receiving, on the
UL channel, a multiple tone transmission from the plurality of UE
devices.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for receiving on the UL
channel, in parallel, a single tone transmission from the plurality
of UE devices.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for receiving from a UE
device of the plurality of UE devices, in parallel on the UL
channel, a plurality of single tone transmissions.
In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above, allocating at least the
first portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
the UL channel comprises: allocating a same set of frequency
resources or a different set of frequency resources to the UL
channel from one subframe to another subframe in the plurality of
subframes.
In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above, allocating resources of
the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices comprises: allocating
resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices using
intra-resource block frequency hopping.
In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above, the time resources and
the frequency resources of the UL channel allocated to the
plurality of UE devices comprise bundled transmission time
intervals (TTIs).
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for approximating CSI
for at least one downlink of the narrowband communication based at
least in part on a measurement of an SRS, CQI for an uplink of the
narrowband communication, a CQI received on a PUSCH, or a
combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above, allocating resources of
the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices comprises: allocating
resources of the UL channel to a UE device of the plurality of UE
devices based at least in part on a coverage enhancement (CE) level
associated with the UE device.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for transmitting an SRS
during each symbol period of each subframe of the plurality of
subframes.
A method of wireless communication is described. The method may
include identifying time resources and frequency resources for
narrowband communication in a plurality of subframes, receiving an
indication of at least a first portion of the time resources and
the frequency resources allocated to a UL channel to carry UL
control information for the UE device, and transmitting one or both
of downlink ACKs and downlink NAKs on the UL channel.
An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus
may include means for identifying time resources and frequency
resources for narrowband communication in a plurality of subframes,
means for receiving an indication of at least a first portion of
the time resources and the frequency resources allocated to a UL
channel to carry UL control information for the UE device, and
means for transmitting one or both of downlink ACKs and downlink
NAKs on the UL.
Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The
apparatus may include a processor, memory in electronic
communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the
memory. The instructions may be operable to cause the processor to
identify time resources and frequency resources for narrowband
communication in a plurality of subframes, receive an indication of
at least a first portion of the time resources and the frequency
resources allocated to a UL channel to carry UL control information
for the UE device, and transmit one or both of downlink ACKs and
downlink NAKs on the UL channel.
A non-transitory computer readable medium for wireless
communication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable
medium may include instructions operable to cause a processor to
identify time resources and frequency resources for narrowband
communication in a plurality of subframes, receive an indication of
at least a first portion of the time resources and the frequency
resources allocated to a UL channel to carry UL control information
for the UE device, and transmit one or both of downlink ACKs and
downlink NAKs on the UL channel.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a
physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), wherein the UL channel may
be multiplexed with the PUSCH.
In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above, the UL channel comprises
a dedicated PUCCH.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a same
number of reference symbols and data symbols on the UL channel.
Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described above may further include
processes, features, means, or instructions for transmitting on the
UL channel using cross-slot CDM in a time domain, CDM in a
frequency domain, FDM, or a combination thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present
disclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings.
In the appended figures, similar components or features may have
the same reference label. Further, various components of the same
may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and
a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If
just the first reference label is used in the specification, the
description is applicable to any one of the similar components
having the same first reference label irrespective of the second
reference label.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communication system, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 shows an example of a wireless communication system, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 shows time and frequency resource allocations that provide
co-existence between LTE and NB-LTE communications, in accordance
with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 shows a time and frequency resource allocation for a UL
channel usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 5 shows a time and frequency resource allocation for a UL
channel usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 6 shows a time and frequency resource allocation a UL channel
usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE communications),
in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 shows single tone resources of a UL channel usable for
narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE communications), which
single tone resources may be allocated to a narrowband UE device in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 shows a time and frequency resource allocation for a UL
channel usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 9 shows a time and frequency resource allocation within a
superframe usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 10 shows a diagram of a device for use in wireless
communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 11 shows a diagram of a wireless communication manager, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 12 shows a diagram of a device for use in wireless
communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a wireless communication manager, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 14 shows a diagram of a base station (e.g., a base station
forming part or all of an eNB) for use in wireless communication,
in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 15 shows a diagram of a UE device for use in wireless
communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for
wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for
wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for
wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for
wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure;
FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for
wireless communication at a UE device, in accordance with various
aspects of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for
wireless communication at a UE device, in accordance with various
aspects of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The described features generally relate to improved systems,
methods, and apparatuses for allocating time and frequency
resources to a UL channel to carry uplink control information used
for narrowband communication. In some examples, narrowband UE
devices may support very low throughput communications, be power
efficient, be deployed indoors or outdoors in sometimes challenging
environments, be relatively low cost, or have a reduced complexity
(e.g., a narrowband UE device may not support circuit-switched
services or inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility). In some
examples, the density of narrowband UE devices in a wireless
communication system may be on the order of hundreds or thousands
per base station or access point, whereas the density of wideband
UE devices may be much lower.
Given the above differences between narrowband UE devices and
wideband UE devices, UL channels to carry uplink control
information designed specifically for narrowband communication may
be desirable. In some cases, a UL channel may be an UL control
channel or dedicated UL control channel, for example a dedicated
PUCCH. In some examples, it may be desirable to retain the
LTE/LTE-A resource allocation framework when allocating resources
to such an UL channel, to avoid resource fragmentation. In some
examples, a UL channel to carry uplink control information may be
designed to optimize UE device transmission capacity and/or UE
device transmission times.
The following description provides examples, and is not limiting of
the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims.
Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements
discussed without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Various examples may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or
components as appropriate. For instance, the methods described may
be performed in an order different from that described, and various
steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described
with respect to some examples may be combined in other
examples.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communication system 100, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The
wireless communication system 100 may include base stations 105, UE
devices 115, and a core network 130. The core network 130 may
provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking,
Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or
mobility functions. The base stations 105 may interface with the
core network 130 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., S1, etc.) and
may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication
with the UE devices 115, or may operate under the control of a base
station controller (not shown). In various examples, the base
stations 105 may communicate, either directly or indirectly (e.g.,
through core network 130), with each other over backhaul links 134
(e.g., X2, etc.), which may be wired or wireless communication
links.
The base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with the UE
devices 115 via one or more base station antennas. Each of the base
station 105 sites may provide communication coverage for a
respective geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, a base
station 105 may be referred to as a base transceiver station, a
radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB,
an eNodeB (eNB), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other
suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area 110 for a base
station 105 may be divided into sectors (not shown) making up a
portion of the coverage area. The wireless communication system 100
may include base stations 105 of different types (e.g., macro or
small cell base stations). There may be overlapping geographic
coverage areas 110 for different technologies.
In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include
an LTE/LTE-A network and may employ narrowband communication
techniques, as described below. In LTE/LTE-A networks, the term
evolved Node B (eNB) may be used to describe the base stations 105.
The wireless communication system 100 may be a Heterogeneous
LTE/LTE-A network in which different types of eNBs provide coverage
for various geographical regions. For example, each eNB or base
station 105 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a
small cell, or other types of cell. The term "cell" is a 3GPP term
that can be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component
carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g.,
sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station, depending on
context.
A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g.,
several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by
UE devices with service subscriptions with the network provider. A
small cell may be a lower-powered base station, as compared with a
macro cell that may operate in the same or different (e.g.,
licensed, shared, etc.) radio frequency spectrum bands as macro
cells. Small cells may include pico cells, femto cells, and micro
cells according to various examples. A pico cell may cover a
relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted
access by UE devices with service subscriptions with the network
provider. A femto cell also may cover a relatively small geographic
area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by UE devices
having an association with the femto cell (e.g., UE devices in a
closed subscriber group (CSG), UE devices for users in the home,
and the like). An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a
macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small
cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB or a home eNB. An eNB may support
one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells (e.g.,
component carriers).
The wireless communication system 100 may support synchronous or
asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base
stations may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from
different base stations may be approximately aligned in time. For
asynchronous operation, the base stations may have different frame
timing, and transmissions from different base stations may not be
aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for
either synchronous or asynchronous operations.
The communication networks that may accommodate some of the various
disclosed examples may be packet-based networks that operate
according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane,
communications at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol
(PDCP) layer may be IP-based. A Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may
perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over
logical channels. A Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform
priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into
transport channels. The MAC layer may also use Hybrid ARQ (HARQ) to
provide retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency.
In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol
layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of
an RRC connection between a UE device 115 and the base stations 105
or core network 130 supporting radio bearers for the user plane
data. At the Physical (PHY) layer, the transport channels may be
mapped to Physical channels.
The UE devices 115 may be dispersed throughout the wireless
communication system 100, and each UE device 115 may be stationary
or mobile. A UE device 115 may also include or be referred to by
those skilled in the art as a mobile station, a subscriber station,
a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a
mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device,
a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a
mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset,
a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable
terminology. A UE device 115 may be a cellular phone, a personal
digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication
device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a
cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a NB-LTE
device, a M2M device, a MTC device, a NB-IoT device or the like. A
UE device 115 may be able to communicate with various types of base
stations 105 and network equipment, including macro eNBs, small
cell eNBs, relay base stations, and the like.
The communication links 125 shown in wireless communication system
100 may include downlink (DL) transmissions, from a base station
105 to a UE device 115, or UL transmissions, from a UE device 115
to a base station 105. The downlink transmissions may also be
called forward link transmissions, while the uplink transmissions
may also be called reverse link transmissions. The communication
links 125 may include UL channel resources for narrowband
communication, as described in the present disclosure.
In some examples, each communication link 125 may include one or
more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal made up of
multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different
frequencies) modulated according to the various radio technologies
described above. Each modulated signal may be sent on a different
sub-carrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference
signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, user data,
etc. The communication links 125 may transmit bidirectional
communications using a frequency division duplexing (FDD) operation
(e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or a time division
duplexing (TDD) operation (e.g., using unpaired spectrum
resources). Frame structures for FDD operation (e.g., frame
structure type 1) and TDD operation (e.g., frame structure type 2)
may be defined.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a wireless communication system 200, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The
wireless communication system 200 may be an example of a portion of
the wireless communication system 100, and may include a first base
station 105-a, a second base station 105-b, a first UE device
115-a, and a second UE device 115-b.
In some examples, the first base station 105-a may communicate with
the first UE device 115-a using wideband communication, and the
second base station 105-b may communicate with the second UE device
115-b using narrowband communication. The wideband communication
and narrowband communication may occur within the same radio
frequency spectrum, and thus, it may be desirable to allocate
resources for wideband communication and narrowband communication
in a manner that enables co-existence of the devices communicating
using wideband communication and the devices using narrowband
communication.
In some examples of the wireless communication system 200, the
first base station 105-a may be additionally capable of narrowband
communication, or the second base station 105-b may be additionally
capable of wideband communication. Similarly, the first UE device
115-a may be additionally capable of narrowband communication, or
the second UE device 115-b may be additionally capable of wideband
communication.
FIG. 3 shows time and frequency resource allocations 300 that
provide co-existence between LTE and NB-LTE communications, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The LTE
communications may occur between a first base station and a set of
LTE-capable UE devices. The NB-LTE communications may occur between
the first base station (or a second base station) and a set of
NB-LTE-capable UE devices. A particular UE device may be included
in the set of LTE-capable UE devices, the set of NB-LTE-capable UE
devices, or the set of LTE-capable UE devices and the set of
NB-LTE-capable UE devices. In some examples, the first base station
and second base station may be examples of the base stations 105
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the LTE-capable UE
devices and NB-LTE-capable UE devices may be examples of the UE
devices 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
To provide co-existence between LTE and NB-LTE communications, time
and frequency resources may be allocated for NB-LTE communications
within a resource allocation framework based at least in part on
LTE OFDM numerology and LTE resource blocks. In a first example of
NB-LTE resource allocation, out-of-band LTE resources (e.g.,
resources located outside an LTE system bandwidth 305) may be
allocated for NB-LTE communications. In some examples, the
out-of-band LTE resources allocated for NB-LTE communications may
be located in a guard band 310 adjacent the LTE system bandwidth
305. In second and third examples of NB-LTE resource allocation,
in-band LTE resources (e.g., resources located inside the LTE
system bandwidth 305) may be allocated for NB-LTE communications.
In the second example, the in-band LTE resources allocated for
NB-LTE communications may be located in a set of resource blocks
315 spanning a same subset of frequency resources in each subframe.
In the third example, the in-band LTE resources allocated for
NB-LTE communications may be located in different resource blocks
in different subframes (e.g., a first set of resource blocks 320
spanning a first subset of frequency resources may be determined to
be unused for LTE communications, and thus available for NB-LTE
communications) during each subframe in a first set of subframes
(e.g., during subframes SF0, SF1, and SF2) and a second set of
resource blocks 325 spanning a second subset of frequency resources
may be determined to be unused for LTE communications, and thus
available for NB-LTE communications, during each subframe in a
second set of subframes (e.g., during subframes SF2, SF3, and
SF4).
When configuring a NB-LTE uplink, resources may need to be
allocated to a plurality of different channels or signals, such as
a PRACH, a PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a SRS (e.g., the PRACH, the PUCCH,
the PUSCH, and the SRS may need to be multiplexed on the NB-LTE
uplink). Resources may also need to be allocated to a plurality of
UE devices (e.g., resource allocations for different UE devices may
need to be multiplexed on the NB-LTE uplink). In some examples, the
resources of a NB-LTE uplink may be allocated to different
channels/signals or UE devices using a LTE tone spacing, in which
12 tones are defined within the bandwidth of a single resource
block. In other examples, the number, granularity, or dimension of
NB-LTE uplink resources may be increased by using a NB-LTE tone
spacing that is finer than LTE tone spacing. For example, 72 tones
(e.g., the equivalent of 6 LTE resource blocks) may be defined
within the bandwidth of a single LTE resource block and allocated
to different channels/signals or UE devices in a NB-LTE uplink.
In some examples, a base station may communicate with one or more
UE devices using a CE level, in which a greater transmit power or
TTI bundling may be used to improve reception at a receiving device
(e.g., a base station or UE device). TTI bundling may enable
repetition of a transmission, and repetition may improve detection
or decoding of the transmission. In some examples, a plurality of
CE levels (e.g., 4 CE levels), associated with different transmit
powers or combinations of transmit power and TTI bundling, may be
defined.
NB-LTE uplink resource allocations that account for factors such as
the multiplexing of a plurality of channels/signals, the
multiplexing of a plurality of UE devices, or the use of one or
more CE levels within a narrow band are described in the present
disclosure. The resource allocations may, for example, allocate
NB-LTE resources (e.g., the NB-LTE resources of a superframe) to a
plurality of channels or signals (e.g., a PRACH, a PUCCH, a PUSCH,
and a SRS) using TDM, FDM, or a combination thereof, and allocate
NB-LTE resources to a plurality of UE devices using TDM, FDM, CDM
in a time domain, CDM in a frequency domain, or a combination
thereof. The CDM in the time domain may include, for example,
cross-symbol CDM, cross-slot CDM, or cross-subframe CDM.
In some examples, NB-LTE resources may be allocated a UL channel.
In some examples, NB-LTE frequency resources may be allocated to
the UL channel by allocating a same set of frequency resources to
the UL channel for a first slot and a second slot of each subframe
in a plurality of subframes (e.g., the frequency resources
allocated to the UL channel may not hop from one resource block to
another resource block intra-subframe). In some examples, NB-LTE
frequency resources may be allocated to the UL channel by
allocating a same set of frequency resources or a different set of
frequency resources to the UL channel from one subframe to another
subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some cases, the UL
channel may be an example of a UL control channel such as a
dedicated PUCCH.
In some examples, CDM in the time domain may be used to allocate
resources of the UL channel to a plurality of UE devices. In these
examples, CDM in the frequency domain or FDM may also be used to
allocate resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE
devices. CDM in the frequency domain may provide more frequency
diversity per UE device when UE devices are associated with lower
CE levels, and FDM may provide transmission capacity for more UE
devices when UE devices are associated with higher CE levels. In
some examples, FDM may be used to allocate resources of the UL
channel to the plurality of UE devices, but CDM may not be
used.
In some examples, frequency resources of the UL channel may be
allocated to a plurality of UE devices with or without using
intra-resource block frequency hopping. In some examples, resources
of the UL channel may be allocated to the plurality of UE devices
using bundled TTIs. In some examples, a same number of resources of
the UL channel may be allocated to reference symbols and data
symbols.
In some examples, resources of the UL channel may be allocated to
the plurality of UE devices for transmitting downlink ACKs,
downlink NAKs, CQI, or a combination thereof, and a base station
receiving the CQI may determine CSI for a NB-LTE downlink based at
least in part on the received CQI. In other examples, resources of
the UL channel may be allocated to the plurality of UE devices for
transmitting downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, or a combination
thereof, and a base station receiving the downlink ACKs or downlink
NAKs may approximate CSI for a NB-LTE downlink based at least in
part on measurement of a SRS, CQI for a NB-LTE uplink, CQI received
on a PUSCH, or a combination thereof. An approximation of CSI for
the NB-LTE downlink may be sufficient, for example, for a UE device
operating deep in the base station's coverage area, because CQI
reported by the deep coverage UE device may be prone to inaccuracy,
and given the long distance between the base station and the deep
coverage UE device, CQI for the NB-LTE uplink and the NB-LTE
downlink may be approximately the same.
In some examples, resources of the UL channel may be allocated to a
UE device of the plurality of UE devices based at least in part on
a CE level associated with the UE device.
According to an example, for UE devices associated with a higher CE
level, single tone resources may be used for an UL channel. The UL
channel (e.g., an ACK channel) may be allocated to one or more of
the UE devices for the transmission of downlink ACKs, downlink
NAKs, or a combination thereof. FDM may be used for allocations to
different UE devices in the frequency domain when single tone
resources are used for the UL channel (e.g., the ACK channel). In
other examples, using CDM in frequency across a bandwidth at a
lower CE level for a number of UE devices may have a higher overall
multiplexing capacity than a single tone allocation multiplexed in
the frequency domain as described above.
In some examples, a single tone allocation, with CDM in the time
domain, may be used to allocate resources of an UL channel (e.g.,
an ACK channel) to a plurality of UE devices. Two or more OFDM
symbol periods may be allocated to data or reference signal
transmissions, including ACK transmissions. The two or more OFDM
symbol periods may be pairs of OFDM symbol periods. The OFDM symbol
periods may be adjacent in time, or non-adjacent.
In some cases, a system supporting an UL channel usable for
narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE communications) may support
multiple different techniques described herein to allocate
resources to UL channels, including for allocating an ACK channel,
for different UE devices. For example, a base station may support
allocating single tone resources for an ACK channel where resources
are allocated to more than one UE device using CDM in the time
domain. The same base station may also support allocating a single
tone for an ACK channel, where resources for ACK channels for
different UE devices are allocated to different tones using FDM.
The base station may also support allocating an ACK channels for UE
devices using CDM in both the time domain and the frequency domain
(e.g., for a resource block). In some examples, a base station may
select a technique to allocate resources for UL channels, such as
ACK channels, for each of one or more UE devices based on channel
characteristics associated with transmissions to and from a UE
device. For example, an allocation for an ACK channel to UE devices
having good channel characteristics may use techniques where the
ACK channel is allocated using CDM in both time and frequency
domains for a resource block, while an allocation for an ACK
channel to UE devices having poor channel characteristics may use
one of the single tone allocation techniques described above. The
base station may support different allocation techniques between
different resource blocks, for example between different resource
blocks of the same slot or same subframe, or across different slots
or subframes.
FIG. 4 shows a time and frequency resource allocation 400 for a UL
channel usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The narrowband communications may occur between a base
station and a set of narrowband (e.g., NB-LTE-capable) UE devices.
In some examples, the base station may be an example of the base
stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the
narrowband UE device may be an example of the UE devices 115
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
By way of example, the time and frequency resource allocation 400
may correspond to a single LTE resource block 405 having 168
reference elements (e.g., a resource block spanning twelve tones
and fourteen OFDM symbol periods). The OFDM symbol periods may
define two slots (e.g., a first slot 410 and a second slot 415) and
one subframe 420. The OFDM symbol periods of each slot are numbered
1 through 7. The resource elements associated with OFDM symbol
periods 3, 4, and 5 of each slot may be allocated for reference
symbol transmissions, and the resource elements associated with
OFDM symbol periods 1, 2, 6, and 7 of each slot may be allocated to
data symbol transmissions (e.g., downlink ACK/NAK transmissions),
similarly to a time and frequency resource allocation for a LTE
PUCCH.
In some examples, the frequency resources allocated to the UL
channel in FIG. 4 may be a same set of frequency resources or a
different set of frequency resources that are allocated to the UL
channel in one or more other subframes. In some cases, the UL
channel may be an example of a UL control channel such as a
dedicated PUCCH.
In some examples, cross-slot CDM in the time domain may be used to
allocate resources of the UL channel to a plurality of UE devices.
Cross-slot CDM in the time domain may be enabled, at least in part,
by allocating a same set of frequency resources to the UL channel
for the first slot and the second slot of each subframe (e.g., by
restricting intra-subframe frequency hopping between resource
blocks when allocating frequency resources to the UL channel within
a subframe). In some examples, applying the cross-slot CDM in the
time domain may include applying an orthogonal cover code to the
eight OFDM symbol periods allocated to data symbol transmissions in
the first slot 410 and the second slot 415, and applying a discrete
Fourier transform (DFT) that has a spreading factor of 6 to the six
OFDM symbol periods allocated to reference symbol transmissions in
the first slot 410 and the second slot 415. In some examples, the
cross-slot CDM may include cross-subframe CDM in the time domain.
In some examples, the cross-slot CDM in the time domain may be used
with CDM in the frequency domain to allocate resources of the UL
channel to the plurality of UE devices. In other examples, the
cross-slot CDM in the time domain may be used with FDM to allocate
resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices (e.g.,
each UE device may be allocated one or more individual tones). In
some examples, the frequency resources of the time and frequency
resource allocation 400 may be subdivided into 72 tones.
FIG. 5 shows a time and frequency resource allocation 500 for a UL
channel usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The narrowband communications may occur between a base
station and a set of narrowband (e.g., NB-LTE-capable) UE devices.
In some examples, the base station may be an example of a base
station 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the
narrowband UE device may be an example of a UE device 115 described
with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In some cases, the UL channel may
be an example of a UL control channel such as a dedicated
PUCCH.
By way of example, the time and frequency resource allocation 500
may correspond to a pair of LTE resource blocks or subframes (e.g.,
a first LTE resource block 505 or first subframe 510, and a second
LTE resource block 515 or second subframe 520) having a combined
336 reference elements (e.g., each LTE resource block may span
twelve tones and fourteen OFDM symbol periods). The OFDM symbol
periods of each LTE resource block may define two slots (e.g., the
OFDM symbol periods of the first LTE resource block 505 may define
a first slot 525 and a second slot 530, and the OFDM symbol periods
of the second LTE resource block 515 may define a third slot 535
and a fourth slot 540).
A same number of resources (e.g., resource elements) of the UL
channel may be allocated to reference symbol transmissions and data
symbol transmissions. For example, the resource elements included
in the second slot of each LTE resource block or subframe (e.g.,
the resource elements included in the second slot 530 and the
fourth slot 540) may be allocated to reference symbol
transmissions, and the resource elements included in the first slot
of each LTE resource block or subframe (e.g., the first slot 525
and the third slot 535) may be allocated to data symbol
transmissions. Alternatively, the OFDM symbol periods of the UL
channel may be alternately allocated to reference symbol
transmissions and data symbol transmissions. Allocations of
multiple consecutive OFDM symbol periods to reference symbol
transmissions or data symbol transmissions may in some cases
provide better orthogonality and increased UE device transmission
capacity. Allocations of alternating OFDM symbol periods to
reference symbol transmissions or data symbol transmissions may in
some cases provide better channel estimation. In other
alternatives, subframes (e.g., the first subframe 510 and the
second subframe 520) may be alternately allocated to reference
symbol transmissions and data symbol transmissions, or the
resources allocated to the UL channel may be equally allocated to
reference symbol transmissions and data symbol transmissions in
other ways. An allocation of equal (same) numbers of resources to
reference symbol transmissions and data symbol transmissions may
provide better quality transmissions, and may enable spreading over
a greater number of resources (e.g., DFT spreading by applying a
DFT having a spreading factor of 7 times an orthogonal cover code
(e.g., such that the spreading factor for DFT may be 7, 14, 21,
etc.), which can increase the transmission capacity of the UL
channel to handle transmissions of more UE devices. In some
examples, the spreading factor may be limited by a TTI bundling
size, where TTI bundling size may be limited by device (e.g., UE
device) mobility.
In some examples, the frequency resources allocated to the UL
channel in FIG. 4 may be a same set of frequency resources or a
different set of frequency resources that are allocated to the UL
channel in one or more other subframes.
In some examples, cross-subframe CDM in the time domain may be used
to allocate resources of the UL channel to a plurality of UE
devices. Cross-subframe CDM in the time domain may be enabled, at
least in part, by allocating a same set of frequency resources to
the UL channel for the first subframe 510 and the second subframe
520 (e.g., by restricting intra-subframe and inter-subframe
frequency hopping between resource blocks when allocating frequency
resources to the UL channel within a subframe), though
inter-subframe frequency may be allowed when allocating resources
of different TTI bundles to the UL channel. In other examples,
cross-slot CDM in the time domain and FDM may be used to allocate
resources of the UL channel to a plurality of UE devices (e.g.,
each UE device may be allocated one or more individual tones). In
some examples, the frequency resources of the time and frequency
resource allocation 500 may be subdivided into 72 tones.
FIG. 6 shows a time and frequency resource allocation 600 for a UL
channel usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The narrowband communications may occur between a base
station and a set of narrowband (e.g., NB-LTE-capable) UE devices.
In some examples, the base station may be an example of the base
stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the
narrowband UE device may be an example of the UE devices 115
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In some cases, the UL
channel may be an example of a UL control channel such as a
dedicated PUCCH.
By way of example, the time and frequency resource allocation 600
may correspond to four LTE resource blocks or subframes (e.g., a
first LTE resource block 605 or first LTE subframe 610, a second
LTE resource block 615 or second LTE subframe 620, a third LTE
resource block 625 or third subframe 630, and a fourth LTE resource
block 635 or fourth subframe 640) having a combined 672 reference
elements (e.g., each LTE resource block may span twelve tones and
fourteen OFDM symbol periods). The OFDM symbol periods of each LTE
resource block may define two slots (e.g., the OFDM symbol periods
of the first LTE resource block 605 may define a first slot 645 and
a second slot 650, etc.).
The TTIs (e.g., slots) of the first LTE subframe 610 and the second
LTE subframe 620 may be bundled, and cross-subframe CDM in the time
domain may be used to allocate the resources of the first LTE
resource block 605 and the second LTE resource block 615 to a
plurality of UE devices, as described with reference to FIG. 5. CDM
in the frequency domain or FDM may also be used to allocate the
resources of the first LTE resource block 605 and the second LTE
resource block 615 to the plurality of UE devices. The TTIs of the
third LTE resource block 625 and the fourth LTE resource block 635
may also be bundled, and cross-subframe CDM in the time domain and
other techniques described with reference to FIG. 5 may be used to
allocate the resources of the third LTE resource block 625 and the
fourth LTE resource block 635 to a plurality of UE devices.
The same or different frequency resources may be allocated to the
slots and subframes corresponding to bundled TTIs. As shown in FIG.
6, frequency hopping may be allowed between two segments of bundled
TTIs (e.g., the frequency resources associated with different
segments of bundled TTIs may be the same or different). Frequency
hopping within a bundled transmission can provide frequency
diversity.
The TTIs (e.g., subframes) of the first LTE resource block 605 and
the second LTE resource block 615 may be bundled, and
cross-subframe CDM in the time domain may be used to allocate the
resources of the first LTE resource block 605 and the second LTE
resource block 615 to a plurality of UE devices, as described with
reference to FIG. 5. CDM in the frequency domain or FDM may also be
used to allocate the resources of the first LTE resource block 605
and the second LTE resource block 615 to the plurality of UE
devices. The TTIs of the third LTE resource block 625 and the
fourth LTE resource block 635 may also be bundled, and
cross-subframe CDM in the time domain and other techniques
described with reference to FIG. 5 may be used to allocate the
resources of the third LTE resource block 625 and the fourth LTE
resource block 635 to a plurality of UE devices.
As shown in FIG. 6, the same frequency resources may be allocated
to the slots and subframes corresponding to bundled TTIs. However,
cross-subframe frequency hopping may be allowed between two
segments of bundled TTIs (e.g., the frequency resources associated
with different segments of bundled TTIs may be the same or
different).
FIG. 7 shows single tone resources 700 of a UL channel usable for
narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE communications), which
single tone resources may be allocated to a narrowband UE device in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The
narrowband communications may occur between a base station and the
narrowband UE device. In some examples, the base station may be an
example of the base stations 105 described with reference to FIGS.
1 and 2, and the narrowband UE device may be an example of the UE
devices 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH.
By way of example, single tone resources 700 may correspond to four
LTE subframes (e.g., a first LTE subframe 705, a second LTE
subframe 710, a third LTE subframe 715, and a fourth LTE subframe
720). Each LTE subframe may span fourteen OFDM symbol periods. The
OFDM symbol periods of each LTE subframe may define two slots
(e.g., the OFDM symbol periods of the first LTE subframe 705 may
define a first slot 725 and a second slot 730, etc.).
The TTIs (e.g., slots) of the first LTE subframe 705, the second
LTE subframe 710, the third LTE subframe 715, and the fourth LTE
subframe 720 may be bundled. Within each TTI bundle, the tones
allocated to a UE device may hop frequency within a LTE resource
block (cross-subframe, as shown in FIG. 7, or cross-slot). Between
TTI bundles, the tones allocated to the UE device may hop frequency
between LTE resource blocks. However, the frequency hopping with a
LTE resource block within a TTI bundle may interfere with the use
of cross-slot or cross-subframe CDM in the time domain.
In some cases, for example when UE devices may be associated with a
higher CE level, single tone resources 700 may be used for an UL
channel. As further discussed above, an UL channel (e.g., an ACK
channel) may be allocated to one or more of the UE devices for the
transmission of downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, or a combination
thereof. An ACK channel, or another UL channel, may use the single
tone resources 700 for the transmission of ACKs/NAKs. A UE device
may use the single tone resources 700 for a particular slot (e.g.,
first slot 725) or subframe (e.g., first subframe 705), with
allocations for a number of different users (e.g., narrowband UE
devices) being frequency domain multiplexed across portions or all
of the bandwidth for the slot or subframe.
In some cases, the use of a higher CE level may result in a lower
overall effective bandwidth. Use of FDM for a single tone
allocation for an ACK channel (or other UL channel) may improve
overall multiplexing capacity in cases where a higher CE level is
used. For example, overall multiplexing capacity when using a
single tone allocation FDMed across a bandwidth for a higher CE
level may be an improvement in capacity with respect to using CDM
in frequency across the bandwidth for the higher CE level. In other
examples, such as for UE devices using a lower CE level, using CDM
in frequency across a bandwidth may have a higher overall
multiplexing capacity than the single tone allocation using FDM
across the bandwidth for the users.
FIG. 8 shows a time and frequency resource allocation 800 for a UL
channel usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The narrowband communications may occur between a base
station and a set of narrowband (e.g., NB-LTE-capable) UE devices.
In some examples, the base station may be an example of the base
stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the
narrowband UE device may be an example of the UE devices 115
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In some cases, the UL
channel may be an example of a UL control channel such as a
dedicated PUCCH.
By way of example, the time and frequency resource allocation 800
may correspond to a single LTE resource block 805 having 168
reference elements (e.g., a resource block spanning twelve tones
and fourteen OFDM symbol periods). The OFDM symbol periods may
define two slots (e.g., a first slot 810 and a second slot 815) and
one subframe 820. The OFDM symbol periods of each slot are numbered
1 through 7. The resource elements associated with OFDM symbol
periods 2 and 6 of each slot may be allocated for reference symbol
transmissions, and the resource elements associated with OFDM
symbol periods 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of each slot may be allocated to
data symbol transmissions (e.g., CQI transmissions), similarly to a
time and frequency resource allocation for a LTE PUCCH. In some
examples, the frequency resources allocated to the UL channel in
FIG. 8 may be a same set of frequency resources or a different set
of frequency resources that are allocated to the UL channel in one
or more other subframes.
In some examples, CDM in the time domain may be used to allocate
resources of the UL channel to a plurality of UE devices. In some
examples, applying the CDM in the time domain may include applying
an orthogonal cover code to pairs of the OFDM symbol periods
allocated to data symbol transmissions (e.g., to a first OFDM
symbol pair 825, a second OFDM symbol pair 830, a third OFDM symbol
pair 835, a fourth OFDM symbol pair 840, and a fifth OFDM symbol
pair 845). Cross-slot CDM in the time domain (e.g., for applying an
orthogonal cover code to the third OFDM symbol pair 835) may be
enabled, at least in part, by allocating a same set of frequency
resources to the UL channel for the first slot 810 and the second
slot 815 of the subframe 820 (e.g., by restricting intra-subframe
frequency hopping between resource blocks when allocating frequency
resources to the UL channel within a subframe). Applying CDM in the
time domain may also include applying a spreading factor of 2
orthogonal cover codes (or other CDM codes) to pairs of the OFDM
symbol periods allocated to reference symbol transmissions (e.g.,
to a sixth OFDM symbol pair 850 and a seventh OFDM symbol pair
855). In some examples, the CDM in the time domain may be used with
CDM in the frequency domain to allocate resources of the UL channel
to the plurality of UE devices.
In other examples, the CDM in the time domain may be used with FDM
to allocate resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE
devices (e.g., each UE device may be allocated one or more
individual tones). For example, CDM in the time domain may be used
to allocate resources of a UL channel to a first set of UE devices
as described above for a single tone of LTE resource block 805,
where CDM may be applied (e.g., by applying an orthogonal cover
code) to more than one OFDM symbol periods allocated to data or
reference symbol transmissions for that tone. The more than one
OFDM symbol periods may be pairs of OFDM symbol periods as
described above. In the example for a single tone allocation, FDM
may be applied, but CDM may not be applied in the frequency domain.
The code division multiplexed OFDM symbols may be frequency domain
multiplexed within LTE resource block 805.
For additional UE devices, such as a second set of UE devices, CDM
in the time domain may be applied similarly for one or more other
tones of LTE resource block 805. CDM may be applied to OFDM symbol
periods for data or reference symbol periods.
In some examples as described above, one or more of the pairs of
OFDM symbol periods may carry one or more single tone ACKs or NAKs
of one or more ACK channels for the UE devices. Thus, an ACK
channel (e.g., to carry downlink ACKs and downlink NAKs) for a UE
device may be a single tone transmission with CDM in the time
domain along with one or more other ACK channels for other UE
devices. The ACK channels may be frequency division multiplexed
(and not code division multiplexed in frequency) within LTE
resource block 805.
In some examples, the frequency resources of the time and frequency
resource allocation 800 may be subdivided into 72 tones.
FIG. 9 shows a time and frequency resource allocation 900 within a
superframe 905 usable for narrowband communications (e.g., NB-LTE
communications), in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The narrowband communications may occur between a base
station and a set of narrowband (e.g., NB-LTE-capable) UE devices.
In some examples, the base station may be an example of the base
stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the
narrowband UE device may be an example of the UE devices 115
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
By way of example, the resources of the superframe 905 may be
allocated to a PRACH, a UL channel carrying UL control information,
a PUSCH, and a SRS. In some cases, the UL channel may be an example
of a UL control channel such as a dedicated PUCCH. In some
examples, resources may be allocated to the SRS in each symbol
period of each subframe of the superframe. In some examples,
resources may be allocated to the SRS in a last symbol period of
each subframe in which resources are allocated to the UL channel or
the PUSCH. The PRACH, the UL channel, the PUSCH, and the SRS may be
multiplexed on the resources of the superframe 905 in the time
domain, the frequency domain, or a combination thereof.
FIG. 10 shows a diagram 1000 of a device 1005 for use in wireless
communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of aspects of one or
more of the base stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1
and 2. The device 1005 may also be or include a processor. The
device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a wireless communication
manager 1020, or a transmitter 1030. Each of these components may
be in communication with each other.
The components of the device 1005 may, individually or
collectively, be implemented using one or more application-specific
integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all of the
applicable functions in hardware. Alternatively, the functions may
be performed by one or more other processing units (or cores), on
one or more integrated circuits. In other examples, others of
integrated circuits may be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs,
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), a System on Chip (SoC),
and/or others of Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in any
manner known in the art. The functions of each component may also
be implemented, in whole or in part, with instructions embodied in
a memory, formatted to be executed by one or more general or
application-specific processors.
In some examples, the receiver 1010 may include at least one radio
frequency (RF) receiver, such as at least one RF receiver operable
to receive transmissions over at least one radio frequency spectrum
band. In some examples, one or more of the at least one radio
frequency spectrum band may be used for narrowband communications
(e.g., NB-LTE communications), as described, for example, with
reference to FIGS. 1-9. The receiver 1010 may be used to receive
various data or control signals over one or more communication
links of a wireless communication system, such as one or more
communication links of the wireless communication system 100 or 200
described with reference to FIG. 1 or 2.
In some examples, the transmitter 1030 may include at least one RF
transmitter, such as at least one RF transmitter operable to
transmit over at least one radio frequency spectrum band. The
transmitter 1030 may be used to transmit various data or control
signals over one or more communication links of a wireless
communication system, such as one or more communication links of
the wireless communication system 100 or 200 described with
reference to FIG. 1 or 2.
In some examples, the wireless communication manager 1020 may be
used to manage one or more aspects of wireless communication for
the device 1005. In some examples, part of the wireless
communication manager 1020 may be incorporated into or shared with
the receiver 1010 or the transmitter 1030. In some examples, the
wireless communication manager 1020 may include a resource
identifier 1035, a UE device identifier 1040, a UL channel resource
allocator 1045, or a UE device resource allocator 1050.
The resource identifier 1035 may be used to identify time resources
and frequency resources for narrowband communication in each
subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources may
include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as described
with reference to FIG. 3. The UE device identifier 1040 may be used
to identify a plurality of UE devices (e.g., UE devices needing
uplink resources for narrowband communications). The UL channel
resource allocator 1045 may be used to allocate at least a first
portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to a UL
channel. In some examples, a same set of frequency resources may be
allocated to the UL channel for a first slot and a second slot of
each subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some examples, a
same set of frequency resources or a different set of frequency
resources may be allocated to the UL channel from one subframe to
another subframe in the plurality of subframes. The UE device
resource allocator 1050 may be used to allocate resources of the UL
channel to the identified plurality of UE devices. In some
examples, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH.
FIG. 11 shows a diagram 1100 of a wireless communication manager
1020-a, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The wireless communication manager 1020-a may be an
alternative to the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIG. 10, or may be provided in one or more of the
base stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The
wireless communication manager 1020-a may be used to manage one or
more aspects of wireless communication for a base station. In some
examples, part of the wireless communication manager 1020-a may be
incorporated into or shared with a receiver or a transmitter of a
device, such as the receiver 1010 or the transmitter 1030 of the
device 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10. In some examples,
the wireless communication manager 1020-a may include a resource
identifier 1035-a, a UE device identifier 1040-a, a UL channel
resource allocator 1045-a, or a UE device resource allocator
1050-a, which may be examples of the resource identifier 1035, the
UE device identifier 1040, the UL channel resource allocator 1045,
or the UE device resource allocator 1050 described with reference
to FIG. 10. The wireless communication manager 1020-a may also
include a PRACH resource allocator 1105, a PUSCH resource allocator
1110, a SRS resource allocator 1115, or a feedback processor
1135.
The components of the wireless communication manager 1020-a may,
individually or collectively, be implemented using one or more
ASICs adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in
hardware. Alternatively, the functions may be performed by one or
more other processing units (or cores), on one or more integrated
circuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may
be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, FPGAs, a SoC, and/or
other types of Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in any
manner known in the art. The functions of each component may also
be implemented, in whole or in part, with instructions embodied in
a memory, formatted to be executed by one or more general or
application-specific processors.
The resource identifier 1035-a may be used to identify time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3.
The UE device identifier 1040-a may be used to identify a plurality
of UE devices (e.g., UE devices needing uplink resources for
narrowband communications).
The UL channel resource allocator 1045-a may be used to allocate at
least a first portion of the time resources and the frequency
resources to a UL channel. In some examples, a same set of
frequency resources may be allocated to the UL channel for a first
slot and a second slot of each subframe in the plurality of
subframes. In some examples, a same set of frequency resources or a
different set of frequency resources may be allocated to the UL
channel from one subframe to another subframe in the plurality of
subframes. In some examples, the UL channel may be an example of a
UL control channel such as a dedicated PUCCH.
The PRACH resource allocator 1105 may be used to allocate a second
portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to a
PRACH. The PUSCH resource allocator 1110 may be used to allocate a
third portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
a PUSCH. The SRS resource allocator 1115 may be used to allocate a
fourth portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
a SRS. In some examples, a combination of two or more of the UL
channel resource allocator 1045-a, the PRACH resource allocator
1105, the PUSCH resource allocator 1110, or the SRS resource
allocator 1115 may multiplex the UL channel, the PRACH, the PUSCH,
or the SRS in the time domain (on the time resources identified for
narrowband communication), the frequency domain (on the frequency
resources identified for narrowband communication), or a
combination thereof.
In some examples, the SRS resource allocator 1115 may allocate
resources for transmitting the SRS in each symbol period of each of
the plurality of subframes. In some examples, the SRS resource
allocator 1115 may allocate resources for transmitting the SRS in a
last symbol period of each subframe in which resources are
allocated to the UL channel or the PUSCH.
The UE device resource allocator 1050-a may be used to allocate
resources of the UL channel to the identified plurality of UE
devices. In some examples, resources of the UL channel may be
allocated to the plurality of UE devices using intra-resource block
frequency hopping. In some examples, resources of the UL channel
may be additionally or alternatively allocated to a UE device of
the plurality of UE devices based at least in part on a CE level
associated with the UE device. In some examples, the resources of
the UL channel allocated to the plurality of UE devices may include
bundled TTIs.
In some examples, the UE device resource allocator 1050-a may
include a reference symbol allocator 1120, a CDM allocator 1125, or
a FDM allocator 1130. The reference symbol allocator 1120 may be
used to optionally allocate a same number of resources of the UL
channel to reference symbol transmissions and data symbol
transmissions.
In some examples, the CDM allocator 1125 may be used to allocate
resources of the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices using
cross-slot CDM in a time domain and CDM in a frequency domain.
Alternatively, the CDM allocator 1125 and the FDM allocator 1130
may be used to allocate resources of the UL channel to the
plurality of UE devices using cross-slot CDM in the time domain and
FDM. In some examples, the cross-slot CDM in the time domain may
include cross-subframe CDM in the time domain.
The feedback processor 1135 may be used to receive at least one of
downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, CQI, or a combination thereof from
the plurality of UE devices. The downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, or
CQI may be received on the UL channel. When resources of the UL
channel are allocated to the plurality of UE devices using
cross-slot CDM in a time domain and CDM in a frequency domain, the
downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, or CQI may be received in a multiple
tone transmission from each UE device. When resources of the UL
channel are allocated to the plurality of UE devices using
cross-slot CDM in the time domain and FDM, the downlink ACKs,
downlink NAKs, or CQI may be received in single tone transmissions
from each UE device. In some examples, a plurality of single tone
transmissions may be received on the UL channel, in parallel, from
one or more of the UE devices.
In some examples, the feedback processor 1135 may include a CSI
processor 1140. The CSI processor 1140 may be used to determine CSI
for at least one downlink of the narrowband communication. The CSI
may be determined based at least in part on CQI for the at least
one downlink received from one or more of the plurality of UEs
devices. Alternatively, the CSI processor 1140 may be used to
approximate CSI for at least one downlink of the narrowband
communication. The CSI may be approximated based at least in part
on: measurement of a SRS, CQI for an uplink of the narrowband
communication, CQI received on a PUSCH, or a combination
thereof.
FIG. 12 shows a diagram 1200 of a device 1215 for use in wireless
communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The device 1215 may be an example of aspects of one or
more of the UE devices 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and
2. The device 1215 may also be or include a processor. The device
1215 may include a receiver 1210, a wireless communication manager
1220, or a transmitter 1230. Each of these components may be in
communication with each other.
The components of the device 1215 may, individually or
collectively, be implemented using one or more ASICs adapted to
perform some or all of the applicable functions in hardware.
Alternatively, the functions may be performed by one or more other
processing units (or cores), on one or more integrated circuits. In
other examples, others of integrated circuits may be used (e.g.,
Structured/Platform ASICs, FPGAs, a SoC, and/or others of
Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in any manner known in
the art. The functions of each component may also be implemented,
in whole or in part, with instructions embodied in a memory,
formatted to be executed by one or more general or
application-specific processors.
In some examples, the receiver 1210 may include at least one RF
receiver, such as at least one RF receiver operable to receive
transmissions over at least one radio frequency spectrum band. In
some examples, one or more of the at least one radio frequency
spectrum band may be used for narrowband communications (e.g.,
NB-LTE communications), as described, for example, with reference
to FIGS. 1-9. The receiver 1210 may be used to receive various data
or control signals over one or more communication links of a
wireless communication system, such as one or more communication
links of the wireless communication system 100 or 200 described
with reference to FIG. 1 or 2.
In some examples, the transmitter 1230 may include at least one RF
transmitter, such as at least one RF transmitter operable to
transmit over at least one radio frequency spectrum band. The
transmitter 1230 may be used to transmit various data or control
signals over one or more communication links of a wireless
communication system, such as one or more communication links of
the wireless communication system 100 or 200 described with
reference to FIG. 1 or 2.
In some examples, the wireless communication manager 1220 may be
used to manage one or more aspects of wireless communication for
the device 1215. In some examples, part of the wireless
communication manager 1220 may be incorporated into or shared with
the receiver 1210 or the transmitter 1230. In some examples, the
wireless communication manager 1220 may include a resource
identifier 1235, a UL channel resource identifier 1240, or a
feedback transmission manager 1245.
The resource identifier 1235 may be used to identify time resources
and frequency resources for narrowband communication in each
subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources may
include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as described
with reference to FIG. 3. The UL channel resource identifier 1240
may be used to receive an indication of at least a first portion of
the time resources and the frequency resources allocated to a UL
channel for the UE device. The feedback transmission manager 1245
may be used to transmit at least one of downlink ACKs, downlink
NAKs, CQI, or a combination thereof on the UL channel. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH.
FIG. 13 shows a diagram 1300 of a wireless communication manager
1220-a, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. The wireless communication manager 1220-a may be an
alternative to the wireless communication manager 1220 described
with reference to FIG. 12, or may be provided in one or more of the
UE devices 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The
wireless communication manager 1220-a may be used to manage one or
more aspects of wireless communication for a UE device. In some
examples, part of the wireless communication manager 1220-a may be
incorporated into or shared with a receiver or a transmitter of a
device, such as the receiver 1210 or the transmitter 1230 of the
device 1215 described with reference to FIG. 12. In some examples,
the wireless communication manager 1220-a may include a resource
identifier 1235-a, a UL channel resource identifier 1240-a, or a
feedback transmission manager 1245-a, which may be examples of the
resource identifier 1235, the UL channel resource identifier 1240,
or the feedback transmission manager 1245 described with reference
to FIG. 12.
The components of the wireless communication manager 1220-a may,
individually or collectively, be implemented using one or more
ASICs adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in
hardware. Alternatively, the functions may be performed by one or
more other processing units (or cores), on one or more integrated
circuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may
be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, FPGAs, a SoC, and/or
other types of Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in any
manner known in the art. The functions of each component may also
be implemented, in whole or in part, with instructions embodied in
a memory, formatted to be executed by one or more general or
application-specific processors.
The resource identifier 1235-a may be used to identify time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3.
The UL channel resource identifier 1240-a may be used to receive an
indication of at least a first portion of the time resources and
the frequency resources allocated to a UL channel for the UE
device. In some cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL
control channel such as a dedicated PUCCH.
The feedback transmission manager 1245-a may be used to transmit at
least one of downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, CQI, or a combination
thereof on the UL channel. In some examples, the feedback
transmission manager 1245-a may include a CDM transmission manager
1305 or a FDM transmission manager 1310. In some examples, the CDM
transmission manager 1305 may be used to transmit the downlink
ACKs, downlink NAKs, and/or CQI on the UL channel using cross-slot
CDM in a time domain and CDM in a frequency domain. Alternatively,
the CDM transmission manager 1305 and FDM transmission manager 1310
may be used to transmit the downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, and/or
CQI on the UL channel using cross-slot CDM in the time domain and
FDM. In some examples, the cross-slot CDM in the time domain may
include cross-subframe CDM in the time domain.
In some examples of the device 1215, the feedback transmission
manager 1245-a may be used to transmit a same number of reference
symbols and data symbols on the UL channel.
FIG. 14 shows a diagram 1400 of a base station 105-c (e.g., a base
station forming part or all of an eNB) for use in wireless
communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present
disclosure. In some examples, the base station 105-c may be an
example of aspects of one or more of the base stations 105 or the
devices 1005 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 10. The
base station 105-c may be configured to implement or facilitate at
least some of the base station features and functions described
with reference to FIGS. 1-11.
The base station 105-c may include a base station processor 1410, a
base station memory 1420, at least one base station transceiver
(represented by base station transceiver(s) 1450), at least one
base station antenna (represented by base station antenna(s) 1455),
or a wireless communication manager 1020-b. The base station 105-c
may also include one or more of a base station communicator 1430 or
a network communicator 1440. Each of these components may be in
communication with each other, directly or indirectly, over one or
more buses 1435.
The base station memory 1420 may include random access memory (RAM)
or read-only memory (ROM). The base station memory 1420 may store
computer-readable, computer-executable code 1425 containing
instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the base
station processor 1410 to perform various functions described
herein related to wireless communication, including, for example,
allocating resources to UE devices for narrowband communications on
a PRACH, a dedicated PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a SRS, as described with
reference to FIGS. 1-11. Alternatively, the code 1425 may not be
directly executable by the base station processor 1410 but be
configured to cause the base station 105-c (e.g., when compiled and
executed) to perform various of the functions described herein.
The base station processor 1410 may include an intelligent hardware
device, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller,
an ASIC, etc. The base station processor 1410 may process
information received through the base station transceiver(s) 1450,
the base station communicator 1430, or the network communicator
1440. The base station processor 1410 may also process information
to be sent to the transceiver(s) 1450 for transmission through the
antenna(s) 1455, to the base station communicator 1430, for
transmission to one or more other base stations 105-d and 105-e, or
to the network communicator 1440 for transmission to a core network
130-a, which may be an example of one or more aspects of the core
network 130 described with reference to FIG. 1. The base station
processor 1410 may handle, alone or in connection with the wireless
communication manager 1020-b, various aspects of communicating over
(or managing communications over) one or more radio frequency
spectrum bands.
The base station transceiver(s) 1450 may include a modem configured
to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the base
station antenna(s) 1455 for transmission, and to demodulate packets
received from the base station antenna(s) 1455. The base station
transceiver(s) 1450 may, in some examples, be implemented as one or
more base station transmitters and one or more separate base
station receivers. The base station transceiver(s) 1450 may support
communication over one or more wireless communication links. The
base station transceiver(s) 1450 may be configured to communicate
bi-directionally, via the antenna(s) 1455, with one or more UE
devices or other devices, such as one or more of the UE devices 115
or devices 1215 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 12. The
base station 105-c may, for example, include multiple base station
antennas 1455 (e.g., an antenna array). The base station 105-c may
communicate with the core network 130-a through the network
communicator 1440. The base station 105-c may also communicate with
other base stations, such as the base stations 105-d and 105-e,
using the base station communicator 1430.
The wireless communication manager 1020-b may be configured to
perform or control some or all of the features or functions
described with reference to FIGS. 1-11 related to wireless
communication over one or more radio frequency spectrum bands. The
wireless communication manager 1020-b, or portions of it, may
include a processor, or some or all of the functions of the
wireless communication manager 1020-b may be performed by the base
station processor 1410 or in connection with the base station
processor 1410. In some examples, the wireless communication
manager 1020-b may be an example of the wireless communication
manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
FIG. 15 shows a diagram 1500 of a UE device 115-c for use in
wireless communication, in accordance with various aspects of the
present disclosure. The UE device 115-c may have various
configurations and may be a wireless communication device, a
personal computer (e.g., a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a
tablet computer, etc.), a handheld device, a cellular telephone, a
smart phone, a cordless phone, a wireless modem, a wireless local
loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a digital
video recorder (DVR), an internet appliance, a gaming console, an
e-reader, etc. The UE device 115-c may, in some examples, have an
internal power supply (not shown), such as a small battery, to
facilitate mobile or remote operation. In some examples, the UE
device 115-c may be an example of aspects of one or more of the UE
devices 115 or the devices 1215 described with reference to FIGS.
1, 2, and 12. The UE device 115-c may be configured to implement at
least some of the UE device features and functions described with
reference to FIGS. 1-9, 12, and 13.
The UE device 115-c may include a UE device processor 1510, a UE
device memory 1520, at least one UE device transceiver (represented
by UE device transceiver(s) 1530), at least one UE device antenna
(represented by UE device antenna(s) 1540), or a wireless
communication manager 1220-b. Each of these components may be in
communication with each other, directly or indirectly, over one or
more buses 1535.
The UE device memory 1520 may include RAM or ROM. The UE device
memory 1520 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code
1525 containing instructions that are configured to, when executed,
cause the UE device processor 1510 to perform various functions
described herein related to wireless communication, including, for
example, transmitting narrowband communications on a PRACH, a
dedicated PUCCH, a PUSCH, or a SRS, as described with reference to
FIGS. 1-9, 12, and 13. Alternatively, the code 1525 may not be
directly executable by the UE device processor 1510 but be
configured to cause the UE device 115-c (e.g., when compiled and
executed) to perform various of the functions described herein.
The UE device processor 1510 may include an intelligent hardware
device, e.g., a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc. The UE device
processor 1510 may process information received through the UE
device transceiver(s) 1530 or information to be sent to the UE
device transceiver(s) 1530 for transmission through the UE device
antenna(s) 1540. The UE device processor 1510 may handle, alone or
in connection with the wireless communication manager 1220-b,
various aspects of communicating over (or managing communications
over) one or more radio frequency spectrum bands.
The UE device transceiver(s) 1530 may include a modem configured to
modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the UE device
antenna(s) 1540 for transmission, and to demodulate packets
received from the UE device antenna(s) 1540. The UE device
transceiver(s) 1530 may, in some examples, be implemented as one or
more UE device transmitters and one or more separate UE device
receivers. The UE device transceiver(s) 1530 may support
communications over one or more wireless communication links. The
UE device transceiver(s) 1530 may be configured to communicate
bi-directionally, via the UE device antenna(s) 1540, with one or
more base stations or other devices, such as one or more of the
base stations 105 or devices 1005 described with reference to FIGS.
1, 2, and 10. While the UE device 115-c may include a single UE
device antenna, there may be examples in which the UE device 115-c
may include multiple UE device antennas 1540.
The wireless communication manager 1220-b may be configured to
perform or control some or all of the UE device features or
functions described with reference to FIGS. 1-9, 12, and 13 related
to wireless communication over one or more radio frequency spectrum
bands. The wireless communication manager 1220-b, or portions of
it, may include a processor, or some or all of the functions of the
wireless communication manager 1220-b may be performed by the UE
device processor 1510 or in connection with the UE device processor
1510. In some examples, the wireless communication manager 1220-b
may be an example of the wireless communication manager 1220
described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 1600
for wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure. For clarity, the method
1600 is described below with reference to aspects of one or more of
the base stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and
14, aspects of the device 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10,
or aspects of one or more of the wireless communication managers
1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14. In some
examples, a base station may execute one or more sets of codes to
control the functional elements of the base station to perform the
functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base
station may perform one or more of the functions described below
using special-purpose hardware.
At block 1605, the method 1600 may include identifying time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3. The operation(s) at block 1605
may be performed using the wireless communication manager 1020
described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the resource
identifier 1035 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1610, the method 1600 may include identifying a plurality
of UE devices (e.g., UE devices needing uplink resources for
narrowband communications). The operation(s) at block 1610 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UE device identifier
1040 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1615, the method 1600 may include allocating at least a
first portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
a UL channel. In some examples, a same set of frequency resources
may be allocated to the UL channel for a first slot and a second
slot of each subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
examples, a same set of frequency resources or a different set of
frequency resources may be allocated to the UL channel from one
subframe to another subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH. The operation(s) at block 1615 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UL channel resource
allocator 1045 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1620, the method 1600 may include allocating resources of
the UL channel to the identified plurality of UE devices. In some
examples, resources of the UL channel may be allocated to the
plurality of UE devices using intra-resource block frequency
hopping. In some examples, resources of the UL channel may be
additionally or alternatively allocated to a UE device of the
plurality of UE devices based at least in part on a CE level
associated with the UE device. In some examples, the resources of
the UL channel allocated to the plurality of UE devices may include
bundled TTIs. The operation(s) at block 1620 may be performed using
the wireless communication manager 1020 described with reference to
FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UE device resource allocator 1050
described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
Thus, the method 1600 may provide for wireless communication. It
should be noted that the method 1600 is just one implementation and
that the operations of the method 1600 may be rearranged or
otherwise modified such that other implementations are
possible.
FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 1700
for wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure. For clarity, the method
1700 is described below with reference to aspects of one or more of
the base stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and
14, aspects of the device 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10,
or aspects of one or more of the wireless communication managers
1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14. In some
examples, a base station may execute one or more sets of codes to
control the functional elements of the base station to perform the
functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base
station may perform one or more of the functions described below
using special-purpose hardware.
At block 1705, the method 1700 may include identifying time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3. The operation(s) at block 1705
may be performed using the wireless communication manager 1020
described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the resource
identifier 1035 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1710, the method 1700 may include identifying a plurality
of UE devices (e.g., UE devices needing uplink resources for
narrowband communications). The operation(s) at block 1710 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UE device identifier
1040 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1715, the method 1700 may include allocating at least a
first portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
a UL channel. In some examples, a same set of frequency resources
may be allocated to the UL channel for a first slot and a second
slot of each subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
examples, a same set of frequency resources or a different set of
frequency resources may be allocated to the UL channel from one
subframe to another subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH. The operation(s) at block 1715 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UL channel resource
allocator 1045 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1720, the method 1700 may optionally include allocating a
same number of resources of the UL channel to reference symbol
transmissions and data symbol transmissions. The operation(s) at
block 1720 may be performed using the wireless communication
manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, the
UE device resource allocator 1050 described with reference to FIG.
10, or the reference symbol allocator 1120 described with reference
to FIG. 11.
At block 1725, the method 1700 may include allocating resources of
the UL channel to the identified plurality of UE devices. In some
examples, resources of the UL channel may be allocated to the
plurality of UE devices using intra-resource block frequency
hopping. In some examples, resources of the UL channel may be
additionally or alternatively allocated to a UE device of the
plurality of UE devices based at least in part on a CE level
associated with the UE device. In some examples, the resources of
the UL channel allocated to the plurality of UE devices may include
bundled TTIs. The operation(s) at block 1725 may be performed using
the wireless communication manager 1020 described with reference to
FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UE device resource allocator 1050
described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
Following the operation(s) at block 1725, the method 1700 may
continue at block 1730 or block 1740. At block 1730, the method
1700 may include receiving from the plurality of UE devices, on the
UL channel, at least one of downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, CQI, or a
combination thereof. The operation(s) at block 1730 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the feedback processor
1135 described with reference to FIG. 11.
At block 1735, the method 1700 may include determining CSI for at
least one downlink of the narrowband communication based at least
in part on CQI received for the at least one downlink from one or
more of the plurality of UE devices (e.g., at block 1730). The
operation(s) at block 1735 may be performed using the wireless
communication manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10,
11, and 14, or the CSI processor 1140 described with reference to
FIG. 11.
At block 1740, the method 1700 may include receiving from the
plurality of UE devices, on the UL channel, at least one of
downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, or a combination thereof. The
operation(s) at block 1740 may be performed using the wireless
communication manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10,
11, and 14, or the feedback processor 1135 described with reference
to FIG. 11.
At block 1745, the method 1700 may include approximating CSI for at
least one downlink of the narrowband communication based at least
in part on: measurement of a SRS, CQI for an uplink of the
narrowband communication, CQI received on a PUSCH, or a combination
thereof. The operation(s) at block 1745 may be performed using the
wireless communication manager 1020 described with reference to
FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the CSI processor 1140 described with
reference to FIG. 11.
Thus, the method 1700 may provide for wireless communication. It
should be noted that the method 1700 is just one implementation and
that the operations of the method 1700 may be rearranged or
otherwise modified such that other implementations are
possible.
FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 1800
for wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure. For clarity, the method
1800 is described below with reference to aspects of one or more of
the base stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and
14, aspects of the device 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10,
or aspects of one or more of the wireless communication managers
1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14. In some
examples, a base station may execute one or more sets of codes to
control the functional elements of the base station to perform the
functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base
station may perform one or more of the functions described below
using special-purpose hardware.
At block 1805, the method 1800 may include identifying time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3. The operation(s) at block 1805
may be performed using the wireless communication manager 1020
described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the resource
identifier 1035 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1810, the method 1800 may include identifying a plurality
of UE devices (e.g., UE devices needing uplink resources for
narrowband communications). The operation(s) at block 1810 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UE device identifier
1040 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1815, the method 1800 may include allocating at least a
first portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
a UL channel. In some examples, a same set of frequency resources
may be allocated to the UL channel for a first slot and a second
slot of each subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
examples, a same set of frequency resources or a different set of
frequency resources may be allocated to the UL channel from one
subframe to another subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH. The operation(s) at block 1815 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UL channel resource
allocator 1045 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1820, the method 1800 may optionally include allocating a
same number of resources of the UL channel to reference symbol
transmissions and data symbol transmissions. The operation(s) at
block 1820 may be performed using the wireless communication
manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, the
UE device resource allocator 1050 described with reference to FIG.
10, or the reference symbol allocator 1120 described with reference
to FIG. 11.
Following the operation(s) at block 1820, the method 1800 may
continue at block 1825 or block 1835. At block 1825 or 1835, the
method 1800 may include allocating resources of the UL channel to
the identified plurality of UE devices. In some examples, resources
of the UL channel may be allocated to the plurality of UE devices
using intra-resource block frequency hopping. In some examples,
resources of the UL channel may be additionally or alternatively
allocated to a UE device of the plurality of UE devices based at
least in part on a CE level associated with the UE device. In some
examples, the resources of the UL channel allocated to the
plurality of UE devices may include bundled TTIs.
At block 1825, the method 1800 may include allocating resources of
the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices using cross-slot CDM
in a time domain and CDM in a frequency domain. In some examples,
the cross-slot CDM in the time domain may include cross-subframe
CDM in the time domain. The operation(s) at block 1825 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, the UE device resource
allocator 1050 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, or the
CDM allocator 1125 described with reference to FIG. 11.
At block 1830, the method 1800 may include receiving, on the UL
channel, a multiple tone transmission from each UE device of the
plurality of UE devices. The operation(s) at block 1830 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the feedback processor
1135 described with reference to FIG. 11.
At block 1835, the method 1800 may include allocating resources of
the UL channel to the plurality of UE devices using cross-slot CDM
in the time domain and FDM. In some examples, the cross-slot CDM in
the time domain may include cross-subframe CDM in the time domain.
The operation(s) at block 1835 may be performed using the wireless
communication manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10,
11, and 14, the UE device resource allocator 1050 described with
reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, or the CDM allocator 1125 or FDM
allocator 1130 described with reference to FIG. 11.
At block 1840, the method 1800 may include receiving on the UL
channel, in parallel, a single tone transmission from each UE
device of the plurality of UE devices. In some examples, a
plurality of single tone transmissions may be received on the UL
channel, in parallel, from one or more of the UE devices. The
operation(s) at block 1830 may be performed using the wireless
communication manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10,
11, and 14, or the feedback processor 1135 described with reference
to FIG. 11.
Thus, the method 1800 may provide for wireless communication. It
should be noted that the method 1800 is just one implementation and
that the operations of the method 1800 may be rearranged or
otherwise modified such that other implementations are
possible.
FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 1900
for wireless communication at a base station, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure. For clarity, the method
1900 is described below with reference to aspects of one or more of
the base stations 105 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and
14, aspects of the device 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10,
or aspects of one or more of the wireless communication managers
1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14. In some
examples, a base station may execute one or more sets of codes to
control the functional elements of the base station to perform the
functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base
station may perform one or more of the functions described below
using special-purpose hardware.
At block 1905, the method 1900 may include identifying time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3. The operation(s) at block 1905
may be performed using the wireless communication manager 1020
described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the resource
identifier 1035 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1910, the method 1900 may include identifying a plurality
of UE devices (e.g., UE devices needing uplink resources for
narrowband communications). The operation(s) at block 1910 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UE device identifier
1040 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1915, the method 1900 may include allocating at least a
first portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to
a UL channel. In some examples, a same set of frequency resources
may be allocated to the UL channel for a first slot and a second
slot of each subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
examples, a same set of frequency resources or a different set of
frequency resources may be allocated to the UL channel from one
subframe to another subframe in the plurality of subframes. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH. The operation(s) at block 1915 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1020 described
with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UL channel resource
allocator 1045 described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
At block 1920, the method 1900 may include allocating a second
portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to a
PRACH. The operation(s) at block 1920 may be performed using the
wireless communication manager 1020 described with reference to
FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, the UE device resource allocator 1050
described with reference to FIG. 10, or the PRACH resource
allocator 1105 described with reference to FIG. 11.
At block 1925, the method 1900 may include allocating a third
portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to a
PUSCH. The operation(s) at block 1925 may be performed using the
wireless communication manager 1020 described with reference to
FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the PUSCH resource allocator 1110
described with reference to FIG. 11.
At block 1930, the method 1900 may include allocating a fourth
portion of the time resources and the frequency resources to a SRS.
In some examples, resources for transmitting the SRS may be
allocated in each symbol period of each of the plurality of
subframes. In some examples, resources for transmitting the SRS may
be allocated in a last symbol period of each subframe in which
resources are allocated to the UL channel or the PUSCH. The
operation(s) at block 1930 may be performed using the wireless
communication manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10,
11, and 14, or the SRS resource allocator 1115 described with
reference to FIG. 11. The UL channel, the PRACH, the PUSCH, and the
SRS may be multiplexed in the time domain (on the time resources
identified for narrowband communication at block 1905), the
frequency domain (on the frequency resources identified for
narrowband communication at block 1905), or a combination
thereof.
At block 1935, the method 1900 may optionally include allocating a
same number of resources of the UL channel to reference symbol
transmissions and data symbol transmissions. The operation(s) at
block 1935 may be performed using the wireless communication
manager 1020 described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or
the reference symbol allocator 1120 described with reference to
FIG. 11.
At block 1940, the method 1900 may include allocating resources of
the UL channel to the identified plurality of UE devices. In some
examples, resources of the UL channel may be allocated to the
plurality of UE devices using intra-resource block frequency
hopping. In some examples, resources of the UL channel may be
additionally or alternatively allocated to a UE device of the
plurality of UE devices based at least in part on a CE level
associated with the UE device. In some examples, the resources of
the UL channel allocated to the plurality of UE devices may include
bundled TTIs. The operation(s) at block 1940 may be performed using
the wireless communication manager 1020 described with reference to
FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, or the UE device resource allocator 1050
described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
Thus, the method 1900 may provide for wireless communication. It
should be noted that the method 1900 is just one implementation and
that the operations of the method 1900 may be rearranged or
otherwise modified such that other implementations are
possible.
In some examples, aspects of the methods 1600, 1700, 1800, or 1900
described with reference to FIGS. 16-19 may be combined.
FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 2000
for wireless communication at a UE device, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure. For clarity, the method
2000 is described below with reference to aspects of one or more of
the UE devices 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 15,
aspects of the device 1215 described with reference to FIG. 12, or
aspects of one or more of the wireless communication managers 1220
described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15. In some examples,
a UE device may execute one or more sets of codes to control the
functional elements of the UE device to perform the functions
described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE device may
perform one or more of the functions described below using
special-purpose hardware.
At block 2005, the method 2000 may include identifying time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3. The operation(s) at block 2005
may be performed using the wireless communication manager 1220
described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, or the resource
identifier 1235 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
At block 2010, the method 2000 may include receiving an indication
of at least a first portion of the time resources and the frequency
resources allocated to a UL channel for the UE device. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH. The operation(s) at block 2010 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1220 described
with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, or the UL channel resource
identifier 1240 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
At block 2015, the method 2000 may include transmitting at least
one of downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, CQI, or a combination thereof
on the UL channel. The operation(s) at block 2015 may be performed
using the wireless communication manager 1220 described with
reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, or the feedback transmission
manager 1245 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
Thus, the method 2000 may provide for wireless communication. It
should be noted that the method 2000 is just one implementation and
that the operations of the method 2000 may be rearranged or
otherwise modified such that other implementations are
possible.
FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 2100
for wireless communication at a UE device, in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure. For clarity, the method
2100 is described below with reference to aspects of one or more of
the UE devices 115 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 15,
aspects of the device 1215 described with reference to FIG. 12, or
aspects of one or more of the wireless communication managers 1220
described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15. In some examples,
a UE device may execute one or more sets of codes to control the
functional elements of the UE device to perform the functions
described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE device may
perform one or more of the functions described below using
special-purpose hardware.
At block 2105, the method 2100 may include identifying time
resources and frequency resources for narrowband communication in
each subframe of a plurality of subframes. The identified resources
may include out-of-band resources or in-band resources, as
described with reference to FIG. 3. The operation(s) at block 2105
may be performed using the wireless communication manager 1220
described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, or the resource
identifier 1235 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
At block 2110, the method 2100 may include receiving an indication
of at least a first portion of the time resources and the frequency
resources allocated to a UL channel for the UE device. In some
cases, the UL channel may be an example of a UL control channel
such as a dedicated PUCCH. The operation(s) at block 2110 may be
performed using the wireless communication manager 1220 described
with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, or the UL channel resource
identifier 1240 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
At block 2115, the method 2100 may include transmitting at least
one of downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, CQI, or a combination thereof
on the UL channel. The operation(s) at block 2115 may be performed
using the wireless communication manager 1220 described with
reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, or the feedback transmission
manager 1245 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
Following the operation(s) at block 2110, the method 2100 may
continue at block 2115 or block 2120. At block 2115 or 2120, the
method 2100 may include transmitting at least one of downlink ACKs,
downlink NAKs, CQI, or a combination thereof on the UL channel. At
block 2115, the method 2100 may include transmitting the downlink
ACKs, downlink NAKs, and/or CQI on the UL channel using cross-slot
CDM in a time domain and CDM in a frequency domain. In some
examples, the cross-slot CDM in the time domain may include
cross-subframe CDM in the time domain. The operation(s) at block
2115 may be performed using the wireless communication manager 1220
described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, the feedback
transmission manager 1245 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and
13, or the CDM transmission manager 1305 described with reference
to FIG. 13.
At block 2120, the method 2100 may include transmitting the
downlink ACKs, downlink NAKs, and/or CQI on the UL channel using
cross-slot CDM in the time domain and FDM. In some examples, the
cross-slot CDM in the time domain may include cross-subframe CDM in
the time domain. The operation(s) at block 2120 may be performed
using the wireless communication manager 1220 described with
reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 15, the feedback transmission
manager 1245 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, or the
CDM transmission manager 1305 or FDM transmission manager 1310
described with reference to FIG. 13.
In some examples, the method 2100 may include transmitting a same
number of reference symbols and data symbols on the UL channel.
Thus, the method 2100 may provide for wireless communication. It
should be noted that the method 2100 is just one implementation and
that the operations of the method 2100 may be rearranged or
otherwise modified such that other implementations are
possible.
The detailed description set forth above in connection with the
appended drawings describes examples and does not represent all of
the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope
of the claims. The terms "example" and "exemplary," when used in
this description, mean "serving as an example, instance, or
illustration," and not "preferred" or "advantageous over other
examples." The detailed description includes specific details for
the purpose of providing an understanding of the described
techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without
these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures
and apparatuses are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid
obscuring the concepts of the described examples.
Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety
of different technologies and techniques. For example, data,
instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and
chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may
be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves,
magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any
combination thereof.
The various illustrative blocks and components described in
connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or
performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal
processor (DSP), an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic
device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware
components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the
functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a
microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any
conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state
machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of
computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a
microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more
microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such
configuration.
The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware,
software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination
thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the
functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more
instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples
and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the
disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of
software, functions described above can be implemented using
software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring,
or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions
may also be physically located at various positions, including
being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented
at different physical locations. As used herein, including in the
claims, the term "and/or," when used in a list of two or more
items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by
itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can
be employed. For example, if a composition is described as
containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A
alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in
combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.
Also, as used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a
list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrase
such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates a
disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of "at least one of
A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and
B and C).
Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and
communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer
of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium
may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general
purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not
limitation, computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,
CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or
other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be
used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of
instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a
general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose
or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly
termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is
transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a
coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber
line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and
microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,
DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and
microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc,
as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical
disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc
where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs
reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are
also included within the scope of computer-readable media.
The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable a
person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various
modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may
be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or
scope of the disclosure. Throughout this disclosure the term
"example" or "exemplary" indicates an example or instance and does
not imply or require any preference for the noted example. Thus,
the disclosure is not to be limited to the examples and designs
described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent
with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
* * * * *
References